Another First. Battle of Kings

You can shove the gym memberships and Mediterranean diet aside a bit longer. The parties are not over.

Happy FMNY! (First Monday of the New Year). Oh, let the Kings Battle on!

“OMG. First she couldn’t eat the nachos because they weren’t on her diet, and now she’s broken her tooth on that darn baby in the cake.”(USPD/Commons.wikimedia.org)

Nope, not all about football’s chosen champions out to uphold the reputation of their towns.

I had to grin at Seattle’s coach’s comment after gazing around Dallas Cowboy’s cathedral of sports AT&T stadium.

Said playing there “was like playing in a night club”.

Astute comment: so loud people can’t hold normal conversations, lots of colorful flashing lights, big screens showing games, expensive foods, pretty girls in attention attracting outfits, lots of drinking, some men falling down…

Sounds a lot like Mardi Gras

Starting with Jan. 6th, the battle of King Cakes gets sticky. 

Día de Los Reyes (Mexico and other Latin/Hispanic countries) is celebrated in honor of the Three Wise Men who upon arrival at the manger in Bethlehem gave gifts to the infant Jesus.

The last in a series of Mexican Christmas festivities, often gifts were/are exchanged more at this time than Christmas.

A new dream market for Hallmark and merchants “honoring” cultural diversity.

Rosca (“wreath”/oval shape representing a crown) de Reyes (kings) or King Cakes are served with a bean, candy, or small doll baked inside to represent the Christ child. (See Louisiana’s best King Cakes here and here.)

Tradition says whoever finds the “baby” is supposed to take it to the nearest church on Feb. 2 when Jesus was presented to the church. The winners usually then host a party for friends and family in Feb. 2.

Never enough parties. Hey, Church approved!

King Cakes rule in New Orleans and are closely tied to Mardi Gras and carnival. 

The tradition seems to have been brought from France in 1870 with the “official colors” of purple (for justice), green (for faith), and gold (for power) documented by the Krewe of Rx in 1872.

The one that finds the baby in the cake agrees to host the next Mardi Gras Party.

Parties – a similar theme..but these maybe not Sunday School variety.

“Ah, a shoe-in for the New Year. One for every party and church service.” (USPD/Commons.wikimedia.org)

The tradition said to have been brought by Basque settlers in 1718 to the Southern U.S. (Florida panhandle across to East Texas).

King cake parties were well documented in the 18th century there with the “winner” of the baby search receiving good luck for the year ahead – and who had to furnish the King Cake for the next year.

These celebrations just less famous as they were possibly less raucous than New Orleans? You never know just how settled those isolated settlers were when they gathered…

Blue Bell ice cream company knows how big Mardi Gras is in Galveston, TX area.

So local grocery stores were some of the first (2004) to offer a special limited edition: Mardi Gras King Cake ice cream.

The first few years, people scrambled and traveled distances to get some before it was gone. Now the flavor is more widely available (and we won’t be getting calls from, friends elsewhere begging us to buy and stop some for them.)

Time to pack up the Christmas t-shirts and freshen the vintage Mardi Gras collection.

Icing on the Christmas cake

Phil, the Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge

It’s good. Mardi Gras season and Blue Bell’s ice cream…any flavor.